What it's like to live in Southwick

Adur is heavily owner-occupied. Across the district, 72% of homes are owned, 14.8% are privately rented and 12.4% are social rented, below the England figure of 17.1%. Council homes make up 8.8% and housing association homes 3.6%, so social housing here is a smaller slice of the market than in many parts of the country.

Adur District Council is by far the largest social landlord with 2,523 homes, followed by Southern Housing with 452, Hyde Housing Association with 379, The Guinness Partnership with 224 and Clarion Housing Association with 192. Average weekly social rents for 2025/26 in the district are £107 for a one bed, £126 for a two bed and £140 for a three bed.

Demand is real: 1,033 households were on the council's housing register at 31 March 2025, and 179 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25. The register is not a simple queue. In the same year 11 council homes changed hands through mutual exchange, which is why swapping is worth taking seriously as a route into the area.

Adur has a slightly smaller share of children than England as a whole: 17.9% of residents are under 16, compared with 18.6% nationally. Families are well represented, but this is not a district dominated by young households, so you get a quieter, mixed feel on most streets.

Southwick is a town of around 13,195 people, which means primary schools, nurseries and children's activities are generally local, with secondary options and larger facilities spread across the wider Adur area and neighbouring Brighton and Hove. Admissions in coastal Sussex can be competitive, so check current catchments and places directly with West Sussex County Council before you agree a swap, rather than assuming a school is available.

The practical pluses for families here are the seafront and the South Downs behind the town. Both give you free, outdoor things to do with children all year, which matters when budgets are tight. Older children also benefit from the coastal transport links, making college and part-time work in Shoreham, Hove or Brighton reachable without a lift from a parent.

Southwick sits on the coastal corridor between Shoreham-by-Sea and Brighton and Hove, which is the main thing shaping how people get about. Journeys east and west along the coast are straightforward; heading north inland over the Downs takes longer.

Most households here have the option of driving, and the coast road and the routes linking Shoreham, Southwick, Portslade and Hove carry a steady flow of traffic, particularly at peak times near the port. If you do not drive, the coastal strip is reasonably well served by bus and rail services running between the towns, so getting to Brighton or Worthing without a car is realistic rather than a struggle.

Southwick itself is compact and mostly flat near the sea, so walking to local shops and schools is practical for many residents, and the seafront gives you a long, level route for walking or cycling. Before you commit to a swap, it is worth checking the exact bus stops, station access and parking arrangements for the specific street, as these vary a lot across the town.

The biggest draw is the outdoors. Southwick sits on the coast with the beach and seafront on your doorstep, and the South Downs rising just inland. Between them you get walking, cycling and sea air without paying for any of it, which is the sort of thing that keeps people living here for decades.

For eating out, shopping and bigger days out, most residents use the mix of local places in Southwick and neighbouring Shoreham-by-Sea, with Brighton and Hove a short trip east and Worthing to the west. That gives you a wide choice of restaurants, cinemas, theatres and events without having to live in the middle of them.

Harbour and port activity along the waterfront gives this part of the coast its own character, and it is a change from the typical seaside resort. If you want a town where there is always something on, Southwick may feel quiet; if you want somewhere calm with city entertainment half an hour away, it works well.

In the Adur council area, 56.3% of adults are in work, just under the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment is lower than average at 2.7%, compared with 3.5% nationally, and in September 2026 3.1% of 16 to 64 year olds were claiming unemployment-related benefits, against 4% across England.

Those numbers point to a steady local labour market rather than a booming one. Many people living in Southwick work elsewhere on the coastal strip, commuting into Shoreham, Hove, Brighton or Worthing, where the larger employers, hospitals and offices are concentrated. The port and industrial land along the waterfront also give the area a working, practical side.

With 23.6% of Adur residents aged 65 and over, a sizeable share of the population is retired, which partly explains the slightly lower employment rate. For working-age tenants, the key point is reach: if you can travel along the coast, your job options widen considerably compared with what is inside Southwick alone.